The German tennis star wishes his former rival a good start to the new phase of his life.
A wistful look at the end of tennis star Rafael Nadal’s career? Not with Alexander Zverev. The German number one is looking forward to the end of Nadal’s great career at the Davis Cup with positive feelings: “Pain is the wrong word. The career he has had is a joy for the tennis world,” Zverev said.
Nadal has “given everything he had to the sport. Probably even more than he could. It’s his decision to quit, and that’s perfectly fine,” Zverev said. “He coined the saying, ‘You should play every point like your life depends on it, but you have to know that tennis isn’t the most important thing. He will also live his life after his career according to this motto.”
Nadal is retiring at the Davis Cup
Nadal is retiring from the professional stage this week at the Davis Cup Final Tournament – after more than 1300 matches, 22 Grand Slam successes and a total of 92 titles on the ATP Tour. He is aiming for his sixth victory at the international event with Spain. After Roger Federer’s retirement in 2022, only Novak Djokovic will remain as an active member of the “Big 3” who have dominated tennis in recent decades. “I wish him all the best for the coming week, and then I hope he can also enjoy his life after tennis,” said Zverev.
The 27-year-old is likely to look back on his own duels with Nadal with mixed feelings. In 2022, Zverev, in absolute top form, suffered a serious injury in the semi-finals of the French Open, while in 2024 he defeated the aging Spaniard in the latter’s “living room” in the first round. For Nadal, it was only the fourth defeat at the clay-court tournament, which he won 14 times.